North American Heat Wave Worst Ever Anywhere

I was amazed earlier this week to see the reports of record high temperatures along the West coast, especially those in Lytton, BC, which set a new Canadian record. To add insult to injury, the town was destroyed by a wildfire a few days later. 

In the Eye on the Storm site, meteorologist Bob Henson looks at the heat wave, the records it set, and what it might mean for the future. He notes that the heat wave wasn't just extreme; it's likely the worst heat wave in recorded meteorological history. 

Never in the century-plus history of world weather observation have so many all-time heat records fallen by such a large margin than in the past week’s historic heat wave in western North America. The only heat wave that compares is the great Dust Bowl heat wave of July 1936 in the U.S. Midwest and south-central Canada. But even that cannot compare to what happened in the Northwest U.S. and western Canada over the past week.

“This is the most anomalous regional extreme heat event to occur anywhere on Earth since temperature records began. Nothing can compare,” said weather historian Christopher Burt, author of the book “Extreme Weather.”

Pointing to Lytton, Canada, he added, “There has never been a national heat record in a country with an extensive period of record and a multitude of observation sites that was beaten by 7°F to 8°F.”

International weather records researcher Maximiliano Herrera (@extremetemps) agrees. “What we are seeing now is totally unprecedented worldwide,” said Herrera, who tweeted on June 30, “It’s an endless waterfall of records being smashed.”

The ultimate toll from the heat wave may take some time to be tallied, but it's already killed dozens if not hundreds of people. I haven't seen much mention of that in the news so far, but that will come.